1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to a cascoded power amplifier, particularly but not exclusively for use in radio frequency applications.
More specifically but not exclusively, the disclosure relates to a power amplifier comprising at least a load element and at least an active element inserted, in series to each other, between a first and a second voltage reference.
The disclosure relates particularly, but not exclusively, to a power amplifier for radio frequency applications and the following description is made with reference to this field of application for convenience of illustration only.
2. Description of the Related Art
As it is well known, radio frequency power amplifiers, or RF amplifiers, require high cut off frequencies as well as high breakdown voltage values in order to be able to provide high powers at high frequencies.
Moreover, low feedback capacitance values, high transconductance values and low on-state resistance values are required.
Generally, some of these features are available in the VLSI CMOS BiCMOS and BCD standard silicon technologies. However, devices produced according to these technologies having all the above features simultaneously do not exist.
In particular, LDMOS devices ensure high breakdown voltage values as well as high power values, but they have degraded radio frequency performances.
On the contrary, VLSI CMOS devices, particularly transistors with short gate length, have a high transconductance, high frequency response and low on-state resistance, but a low breakdown voltage value.